Many ink jet printing systems shuttle the print head across an image-receiving surface, such as paper or cloth. For precise imaging motion that results in precise ink placement for high quality images, it is desirable to minimize the mass of the print head and its associated close-proximity parts that shuttle with the head. The close-proximity parts typically consist of the electronics that generate and transmit the image-forming signals to the print heads to cause them to eject ink.
If the electronics reside on the shuttle with the print head, they add to the weight, which can lead to imprecision. If they reside elsewhere in the printing system, such as at a stationary location adjacent the print head path, the ink jet driving waveforms must travel a relatively long service loop to the print head. This can lead to signal degradation, and ultimately inferior jetting performance. To preserve the signals, the systems must use expensive and large service loop cables that raise the costs of the system dramatically.